This illustrated 'alternative travel guide' and uniquely informative book was originally compiled in 2001 for the use of tourists visiting the 'jungle city' of Iquitos and its environs in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rain forest, thus providing them with an incomparable compendium of information far in excess of the standard 'where to eat, sleep, dance and drink' handbooks, and is specifically intended to promote a greater and deeper understanding of the wonders of the Amazon region, and of the necessity to preserve this beautiful and fragile environment for future generations and for posterity.

To this end, Gateway to Amazonia contains details about local places of interest not generally known or available, suggestions for rarely undertaken river travel on the network of waterways and Amazon tributaries, the background to the people and their endangered way of life, the medicinal plants they use (including ayahuasca and Shamanism), local cuisine and fish-based specialities, folklore and the legendary inhabitants of the darker interior of the forest, and the flora and fauna to be encountered. All this plus an unparalleled English language account of the colourful history of Iquitos (and the role of the Peruvian Navy in patrolling the rivers for the past one and a half centuries), including the extravagant days of the 'rubber boom' epoch, with material drawn in part from old Spanish language records in the local Biblioteca Amazónica.

The First Edition of 'Gateway' (June 2001) comprised just 82 pages; the Second Edition in May 2006 came to 126 pages. With ever more material being included, the Third Edition (February 2010) grew to 188 pages. The book has acquired something of a cult following in Iquitos and to date collectively several thousand copies have been sold in the niche market that exists there. It is now recognised as the definitive, invaluable and unique repository of history, culture and customs of the region, of relevance not just to tourists but also to inhabitants of Iquitos and beyond, and that it should be made more widely available, particularly for use by Peruvian students who are increasingly unfamiliar with the forest way of life as a result of urbanisation. For the latter to be possible, sound translation into Spanish is being investigated. The Fifth Edition of the book (ISBN 9780956662286) was published in October 2014 with 210 pages; the latest Sixth Edition is again fully Indexed. It contains even more information in 256 pages (including 'taster extracts from the upcoming sister publication Gateways to the Andes), supported by an ever widening variety of nearly 100 colour pictures and four maps. A copy is in the British Library archives to provide a permanent record of a fast-disappearing way of life.

Sales: Having started ten years ago with a informal network of ambulante street vendors, outlets for the book are now concentrated as follows -

UK mainland - order direct by e-mail to johnlanebooks(£10.00 + £2.50 p&p) or from Amazon Books as above.

5-Star Amazon Review *****:

"Superb guide to Amazonia. First class travel guide - informative and readable, based on the author's intimate knowledge and love of the area. Strongly recommended to all visitors to that part of Peru." Mrs HB